Those familiar with the world of crime novels would be well familiar with the Alex Cross series of books written by New York native and author, James Patterson. Since 1993’s Along Came A Spider, Alex Cross, the brilliant detective, psychologist, and devoted family man, has appeared in more than 30 of the over 200 books penned by Patterson, with each Cross book building on the last. The next installment, The House of Cross, is due for release on November 25, 2024.
Premiering November 14, Prime Video’s new series, Cross, brings Patterson’s character to the small screen. Developed by Ben Watkins via his Blue Monday Productions – with Watkins also serving as showrunner and co-executive producer – the series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, CBS Studios and Skydance Television.
Aldis Hodge (Black Adam, Hidden Figures, Leverage) stars as Alex Cross, and is joined by, among others, Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowhunters), Alona Tal (Seal Team, Supernatural), Samantha Walkes (Murdoch Mysteries), and Ryan Eggold (The Black List, New Amsterdam).
Previously adapted for film with Morgan Freeman in the lead (1997’s Kiss The Girls and 2001’s Along Came A Spider) and again with Tyler Perry (2012’s Alex Cross), at the New York Comic Con press conference this weekend, Hodge shared that the new series is, “a re-imagining, a refreshing new take,” with Watkins taking the opportunity of the new series to update it make it relevant to today.
Aware of the passionate following for the Cross universe, Watkins acknowledged the danger of creating a superhero. “I felt it was important that I don’t create a superhero. We need a hero. And the difference to me is, a hero struggles and sometimes doesn’t win. But we can all relate to the struggle – and that will make him accessible.”
Of that relationship, for Hodge and Mustafa it has its roots off-screen. “We hold each other down off-camera. So the fact that we can bring that together on-screen, is amazing.” As he gestures towards Mustafa, Hodge is emphatic: “That’s my guy. That’s my guy!”
Those familiar with the novels and the film adaptations would be aware the subject matter is often dark. But how do the cast and crew manage to separate from it at the end of the day?
Samantha Walkes, whose Elle Montiero has a close relationship with Cross, suggests the characters can serve as a surrogate for the audience, navigating how you can provide the support for those who confront the darkness, how you can connect? But as an actor, Walkes has nothing but praise for the support provided during the series’ production. “I’ve never been on a production as storytellers and actors where our sister companies provided therapy, provided spaces of counseling where we could be as instruments to the artform, very healthy, and do our job well. We can talk about suicide and talk about social justice issues, and we can be a whole person coming to that work.”
As well as bringing different storylines across the season, Watkins shared that season one will also plant some seeds.
“We have some characters that you meet in season one, and if you’re fans of book series, you’re going to recognize some things, and we have plans for that. It is a real opportunity to be able to tell a story over 8 episodes, instead of having 90 minutes to tell that story.”
With season 2 already confirmed, the plan is to continue to bring original stories to the Alex Cross universe as, per Watkins, “partly because we felt like that would give us the chance to stay more timely, deal with some things that are happening… being able to reflect what is happening in our world today.”
Reflecting on his character – a behind-the-scenes character, an ambitious (Washington) DC elite in a world of greed and power, Eggold raises the question of how you get to a place like that? “Be it a killer or… whatever… it’s the complete absence of love and community, and it highlights everything that this show is about, which is being a good father and a good detective and that sense of community.”
For the audience, the delightful warning from Hodge is simply this: “There are breadcrumbs. You’ve got to keep your eyes open and pay attention to everything. And don’t get comfortable. We don’t let you get comfortable.”
On November 14, all eight episodes will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. In advance of its first-season debut, the series was renewed for a second season.
See photos of the cast at NYCC below!
